Kyoto Tourists Top 60 Million for First Time in 2025

Economy Travel## Half of All Overnight Visitors to Kyoto from Overseas

Results of a survey by the city’s municipal government found that Kyoto had 62.8 million tourists in 2025, exceeding 60 million for the first time. There was also a new record for tourist spending at ¥2.5 trillion.

The figures are estimates using methods based on guidelines from the Japan Tourism Agency, lodging tax data, as well as surveys of accommodation facilities. There were also interviews with actual visitors (4,734 Japanese and 1,734 international).

According to the results, in 2025, Japanese and international tourists numbered 50.1 million and 12.7 million, respectively. The number of international tourists increased by 3.8 million (43.1%) over the prepandemic level in 2019 (8.9 million) and by 1.8 million (16.5%) over the previous year.

The number of students visiting Kyoto on school excursions totaled 670,000, which is equivalent to roughly one in every five students across Japan who took part in such excursions.

The number of overnight visitors also reached a record high of 16.6 million. This total was almost evenly split between 8.5 million Japanese and 8.1 million international visitors. International tourists stayed more nights, however, at 17.3 million compared to 12.5 million for Japanese tourists, thereby accounting for more than half of all overnight stays at hotels and Japanese inns in Kyoto.

A question on the most frequently visited tourist attractions, which allowed multiple responses per person, found that Kiyomizudera temple was the top spot, selected by 69.7% of the respondents, followed by Nijō Castle (60.4%), the Gion area (56.2%), Fushimi Inari Shrine (53.0%), and the area around Kyoto Station (45.5%).

Overcrowding Tops List of Complaints

The survey found that more than 90% of Japanese and international tourists were satisfied with their trip to Kyoto. However, 47.2% of Japanese and 21.0% of international respondents reported that some aspect of their visit had been disappointing. Among both groups, the most common complaint was overcrowding, including the excessive number of tourists at popular attractions. Among international visitors, the next most commonly mentioned problem was not having enough time (such as due to an overly packed schedule that left little time to relax), public transportation (such as finding it less convenient than expected), and the climate (such as extreme heat).

Data Sources

(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo: Kiyomizudera temple in Kyoto in December 2013. © Sankei Visual.)